Throw and mow v throw and roll

[sportsman94]

With a little bit of rain in the forecast it looks like it would be a good time to plant my summer plots. I have sunn hemp, soybeans, sunflowers, sorghum Sudan grass, a little bit of buckwheat and millet. I currently have a field of wheat, clover, rye, and wild Italian rye grown up around 3’. To conserve what little moisture we have as well as maximize time I think I’d like to do throw and roll with my firminator or throw and mow. My thoughts are to fill my spreader with fertilizer and seed and spread everything with one pass then come back through and lay the thatch down with the cultipacker on the firminator. The other option of course would be mowing after spreading seed and lastly would be spraying for either option. Anyone have a preference over the mow versus roll? Seems like the roll would provide a better mat of thatch to reduce weed pressure, but would it make it too thick for decent germination?

 

[Gadestroyer74]

I would wander if your cultipacker would lay it down and keep it down.. I certainly would want to spray and ill what is growing now so not to compete with your crops for nutrients. My opinion is mowing after would be better than rolling.

 

[Canuck5]

Rolling won't kill everything, if anything. A crimp roller won't kill everything you have planted there. Rolling/crimp rolling has to be done at the right time, with the right cover crop, with everything at the right growth stage, otherwise it will continue to grow, produce seed, drop seed at a high rate and you will contend with it later.

Mixing seed with fertilizer can damage the seed, so I would recommend against that.

Spread fertilizer, then seed, then mow would be a good option, with increased seeding rates by at least 25%.

Another option would be to use a weed wick/weed wiper, with the firminator/cultipacker. Use a 50/50 solution of glyphosate ahead of your firminator. It will kill off, most, of what you have standing and the firminator would roll most of the plants down, with Mother Nature taking care of laying down the rest.

They've gone up in price ...

String Wing, 5' Wick Chemical Applicator

This String Wing rope wick applicator helps you to keep your chemical applications even. This 5 ft rope wick can attach to ATVs or tractors.

www.agrisupply.com

Innoculate, what needs to be innoculated.

 

[sportsman94]

I should have mentioned that everything is at the end of its life cycle besides some of the arrowleaf clover. I figured the roller would lay it down and the spray would take care of the little I would expect to pop back up. But with minimal experience I think I’ll stick with what the pros have to say and go with the bush hog! Thanks for the help as always